U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller Answers Questions at Press Conference
The question ”Did the precedent set by the department in the Afghan dissent cable – giving that to the House Foreign Affairs Committee – set or, like, change the way or allow Senator Rand Paul to make demands that he’s making?’‘
Answer “We saw that as an extraordinary accommodation that we made to the Congress in a very special circumstance. As you know, we allowed members of Congress to come here and read that cable behind closed doors. We see that as a very different issue than the demands that Senator Paul is making. And again, I would just reiterate Senator Paul can make legitimate requests of the State Department, and of others in the administration. What we object to is him holding hostage nominees who are career Foreign Service officers who have served in Republican and Democratic administrations alike. Many of them have been nominated to and confirmed for ambassadorships under Republican presidents, including the previous administration. Holding those nominees up for issues that have nothing to do with their qualifications and hurting our national security – our national security in the process.”
Matthew Miller also answers the question about the Pakistani Army’s security concern From Afghanistan: ‘’We have made very clear that we believe the Taliban has the responsibility to prevent – Afghanistan from being used as a haven for launching terrorist attacks.’’
The Pakistani military held a Corps Commanders’ Conference on July 2023 and urged Afghanistan to take care of the terrorist sanctuaries there which are coming and doing activities in Pakistan.
The conference was chaired by the Chief of Army Staff General and attended by all four regional corps commanders, the inspector general of the Frontier Corps, and the director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence.
The conference discussed the security situation in Pakistan, and the ongoing efforts to combat terrorism. The commanders expressed concern about the presence of terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban government to act against them.
The commanders also discussed the recent rise in terrorist attacks in Pakistan and stressed the need for a coordinated response to this threat. They directed the military to continue its operations against terrorists and to work with the government to improve the security situation in the country.
The conference’s statement said that the commanders “reiterated the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan, and urged the Afghan government to take effective measures to deny safe havens to terrorists.”
The statement also said that the commanders “directed the relevant formations to remain alert and take all necessary measures to thwart any nefarious designs of the enemies.”
The Pakistani military’s concerns about the terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan are not new. The military has been conducting operations against terrorists in the country for many years and has killed or captured hundreds of militants. However, the sanctuaries continue to exist, and terrorists continue to launch attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan
The Taliban government has repeatedly promised to crack down on terrorists, but it has so far failed to do so. The Taliban’s failure to act against terrorists has been a major source of tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It remains to be seen whether the Taliban will take action against the terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan. If the Taliban does not take action, the Pakistani military will likely continue to conduct operations against terrorists in Afghanistan.
